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Poop in a bag.
That is the advice that MSB gives in its new crisis brochure “If the crisis or the war comes”.
But the method receives criticism – the plastic bags can burst.
– It can start to smell disgusting, says Anders Mårtensson.
On page 18 of MSB’s new brochure “If the crisis or war comes” there is the heading “Toilet.”
The instructions for how to go to the toilet during a crisis, for example if there is a long-term power cut, are as follows: put a plastic bag or plastic sack in the toilet, have a bowel movement, then tie the bag and throw it in a combustible, or in containers that the municipality can allocate.
But Anders Mårtensson, safety manager at Norra Skåne’s water and sewage company, sees risks with the method. He doesn’t think the plastic bags are completely safe, anything The echo was the first to report on.
– The bags may burst and if the faeces are not contained, bacteria and infection can spread, says Mårtensson.
He also sees another risk.
– That’s what the risk is – and it’s starting to smell reprehensible.
The approach has also never before been tested on a large scale.
– I’m not a doctor, but it’s clearly better to have it underground where no one comes into contact with it.
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full screen Photo: Claudio Bresciani/TT
“Must have several solutions”
The updated version of the crisis brochure was sent out to all homes during November. It is thicker than the old one and informs about how to be able to manage on your own for at least a week.
The security manager does not see the current solution with plastic bags as a toilet as a good one – but also believes that there is no optimal method yet.
– One thing we have discussed at work is a solution with pumps that you can take groundwater from and flush with. It also works when there is no power. It’s a solution anyway, but we don’t solve it in one way. We must have more, says Anders Mårtensson.
– It’s something we have to work on. When you can’t flush the toilet, it’s a huge worry.
Dryness or pitting is worse
However, MSB cannot generally recommend flushing the toilet with ordinary water when there is a power cut. That’s because the suction in the drains needs electricity to work.
“For example, if you use your toilet and flush with water from a bucket, depending on the topography and the length of the lines, there may be blockages in the system. Stops that are difficult to “get started” again after,” writes Jan-Olof Olsson, administrator at MSB in an email to Aftonbladet.
Olsson believes that MSB cannot provide all different options to everyone depending on where in Sweden you live, but they adapt to what does not cause problems in most systems.
The alternative of putting out a dry bag, “digging a hole” or not even digging is considered a worse alternative than the plastic bags – even if they can burst.
In the end, the municipality is responsible for deciding what to do with the waste, says MSB. The respective municipality must inform about where and how to collect the waste and where they then process it further.